In business they call it a BHAG – a ‘Big Hairy Audacious Goal’. The kind of target that makes you gulp when you think of it, because even if you utterly commit yourself, you still only have a 50% chance of success. When people are truly dedicated, these stretch goals inspire them to great heights. Or literally in this case – they take you to outer space.
A couple weeks ago a video was released that documents Brooklyn-based cinematographer Luke Geissbuhler’s quest with his young son, and a group of friends, to launch an iPhone 4 and an HD video camera into space using a weather balloon. And they were successful. Even with freezing cold temperatures, low pressure, high-speed winds, and the high odds of losing the thing, they were not only able to launch the capsule to 100,000 feet, but they even quickly located it after it came back to earth. And they recovered some riveting video footage.
They call themselves the Brooklyn Space Program. But they’re not professionals. They’re not well funded. They just had a big goal, and they made it happen. Maybe the best part was that Geissbuhler worked on this with his son. There is no better way to teach a child that anything is possible than to show him first hand.
Do you have a BHAG that you are dedicated to?
Geissbuhler also posted a beautiful slideshow of space images taken by the craft, and he’s selling t-shirts and other merch to raise funds for a sophomore voyage.
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